In Mary Khachatryan’s game development learning lab, TUMOians reinvented the 70s video game Snake in a modern way. Students created a contemporary, extended and a more developed version of the game, and experimented with the tools and skills they were given. Students used Unity and Bishop engines to come up with simple and direct settings to various design options.

Marking TUMO’s 10 year anniversary and the inauguration of the new TUMO Gyumri building, the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies today announced a five year, $50 million initiative to make its leading edge educational program available to all teenagers throughout Armenia and Artsakh. With 110 satellite facilities called TUMO Boxes connected to 16 fully equipped TUMO Hubs in regional centers, the program will serve 80 thousand students and reach all young Armenians even in the most remote villages.

A $10 million seed fund donated by the Yemenidjian family will launch and support hubs in Vanadzor, Kapan and Koghb, along with TUMO Boxes that feed into these and three existing hubs. To raise the remaining $40 million, TUMO is kicking off an international fundraising campaign. The Armenian General Benevolent Union and Elie & Elzbieta Akilian have each pledged to match up to $10 million of funds raised in the first 2 years of the campaign. With $10 million in seed funding, a $20 million fundraising goal, and an additional $20 million in matching contributions, the deployment initiative is already underway.

The announcement was made during the anniversary celebration of the official opening of the new TUMO center in Gyumri in the presence of government representatives, local authorities, representatives of international organizations, partners and friends. TUMO founders Sam and Sylva Simonian joined via live video and gave opening remarks.

“Our vision has always been to empower all young Armenians to achieve their full potential,“ said Sam Simonian. “And now we are setting out to fulfill that vision throughout Armenia and Artsakh.”

Also attending were Armen Yemenidjian, representing the Yemenidjian family, Vasken Yacoubian and Vera Setrakian on behalf of AGBU, Elie Akilian, on behalf of Elie & Elzbieta Akilian, via video feed, and TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian.

“My family is extremely excited and proud to be a part of this vital initiative to arm the next generation of Armenians with the tools necessary to compete in the global technology marketplace, no matter where they live in Armenia,” Said Armen Yemenidjian. “We hope this initiative encourages our Armenian brothers and sisters in the diaspora to invest in the future leaders of our country and economy.”

“AGBU has supported the incredible mission and vision of TUMO since its expansion in Armenia and Artsakh, and this gift will solidify a partnership to benefit Armenian children for generations to come. It is an honor to be able to strengthen the relationship between TUMO, AGBU, and students and their families. I also wanted to thank the other generous donors who will be joining this important campaign” said Dr. Eric Esrailian on behalf of the AGBU Council of Trustees and Central Board of Directors.

TUMO centers contain all of the tools required to implement the TUMO educational program: self-learning, workshops and learning labs with globally acclaimed experts.
The TUMO box is a fully equipped mini-TUMO that is easy-to-build and transportable.
TUMO centers and boxes are connected through a specially organized transportation system through which students from TUMO boxes are able to participate in workshops and learning labs in the nearest center, after completing the self-learning portion of the program. The TUMO Armenia campaign will build 16 centers and 110 boxes, granting all teenagers across Armenia and Artsakh access to the TUMO program.

Donations in the United States are tax deductible, and can be made in the form of one time or recurring contributions to the general project or earmarked to specific hubs or boxes through https://armenia.tumo.org.

To honor the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death, TUMOians animated the three parts of Dante’s Divine Comedy: Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven and created the first Armenian maps describing them in Shamiram Khachatryan’s lab.

In a learning lab with illustrator Ksenia Kopalova, TUMOians created wooden characters and stories describing them. The last step of the lab was to take photos of the characters in the environments the students were inspired by.

When TUMO Yerevan launched in 2011, no one fully understood what they would ultimately be signing up to learn.  From the earliest days, however, there was a body of students who were ready to discover the unknown without any hesitation.  Anahit is one of those students, who at the age of 21 has managed to become a guru in a range of TUMO learning areas, to study at UWC Dilijan and the Watson Institute at Lynn University, intern at the IPM Group and eventually return to Yerevan.

Initially, many people think of TUMO as a place where students acquire technical skills and become familiar with the types of subjects that they would otherwise not have had access to. Anahit, however, says that TUMO is not just a location for gaining technical knowledge. “Every time I’m asked to talk about TUMO, I tell people to imagine entering an environment without any preliminary background and being given complete educational freedom, resources and endless opportunities to explore and create.”

Anahit during her years as a TUMO student

Anahit’s thirst for creative exploration landed her in TUMO’s graphic design workshop.  “Although I no longer work in design, this experience was my first serious dive into a discipline that I was entirely unfamiliar with.  It’s enormously rewarding to create something from scratch.  In TUMO workshops, I understood that every subject is comprehendible and conquerable, so long as you have the drive and you work with a team”

Anahit’s graphic design learning lab results

After studying at TUMO for five years, Anahit was accepted into the prestigious UWC Dilijan boarding school.  “It’s not a coincidence that the first time I heard about UWC Dilijan and decided to apply was at TUMO.  It was here that I learned how to seek out opportunities and achieve my goals.”

After graduating from high school, Anahit was accepted into the Watson Institute at Lynn University.  “TUMO also taught me to appreciate unconventional pedagogical approaches.  That’s why, when I was searching for colleges, I chose an institution that had an incubator approach.  In that system, you enter with a project idea and graduate with a business plan.  During my college years, I hoped to work in the type of entrepreneurial field where I would have a positive impact.” Prior to returning to Armenia, Anahit interned as a junior analyst at the IPM Group asset management firm.

Anahit’s student years at UWC and the Watson Institute

Anahit had so many future plans that were still in the works, that she couldn’t pick just one to share with us. Instead, she discussed her approach to crafting a career path: “Rather than focusing on the source of income, I prefer to understand what I’m creating and contributing to.”

FUN FACT

Anahit’s first job was at TUMO, at the age of 17, as a learning labs coordinator.

The main photo features Anahit in 2016, from TUMO’s 5-year Anniversary campaign.

During cinematographer Margos Margossian’s lab, students at TUMO Yerevan made short films about TUMOians whose professional path has been influenced by TUMO’s learning labs. The four films talk about students who have started careers in animation, photography, programming and graphic design.

Students in British illustrator Sam Peet’s learning lab illustrated characters with different backgrounds and united them with Sam’s work to gather a full parade!

When launching any new initiative, the hardest part is getting started, turning an idea from zero to one. It’s one of the main problems facing fresh start-ups, and many fail before getting past this hurdle.

According to a study authored by the European Association of Business Angels, some 137,000 new projects are created each day across the globe. Out of those, 9 out of 10 fail in 1-3 years — the reasons range from weak team structure to lack of vision and a poor grasp of the market.

The Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST) has launched various initiatives to guarantee viability, establish networks and ensure the success and longevity of Armenian startups. And in the midst of it all is a key member of the FAST team, their innovation analyst Anna, one of our very first TUMOians.

Let’s hear from Anna herself: “As part of the innovation team, we’re working with startup teams and individuals alike, planning and implementing entrepreneurship projects. These provide an opportunity for professional networking, gaining new knowledge, and helping raise financial backing.”

Anna’s been immersed in Armenia’s startup scene for four years now, having met some promising startups and following up with their growth and development.

“It’s inspiring that someone with an idea, regardless of the difficulties that arise, won’t stop until they’ve achieved it.”

One such project that Anna has been able to shepherd along was the recently wrapped M1TQ incubation program launched as part of the DigiTown project in cooperation with FAST.
“This program aims to encourage entrepreneurship among young people, providing opportunities for them to turn their business ideas into reality. With eight startups participating, they went through training and practical exercises, each with their own assigned mentors. They were even introduced to potential investors.

That’s Anna at 14, back when she first joined TUMO and launched her learning journey where she was introduced to concepts that would have otherwise passed her by.

“I was interested in web development and filmmaking. With the former, I know I’d need to use it eventually. As for filmmaking, my curiosity was enough. And now, watching a movie isn’t enough. I break down what I see, applying the film know-how I gained at TUMO.”

Fact or Fiction?

“I don’t know if this was true or not. When we were doing self-learning activities, there was a competition to see who’d collect the most points. And whoever did could go up to the second floor, which wasn’t allowed for students back then.”

Well, Anna. It was true. Don’t believe us? We’ve got Hovik Tamazyan as a witness.

One of the first students of our big TUMOgeneration, Rafi Aharonyan, left his career as a programmer to start his business in agriculture. Sounds unusual, right? But you don’t get TUMO out of a TUMOian that easily: Rafi is continuing to learn innovative approaches to agriculture and preparing to implement them in his greenhouses. Learn more in our video from his beautiful farm in Kotayk village.

Hovik + Sergei + Arsen, a few of our earliest and most active TUMOians, are together again at EPAM Armenia. Listening to their stories from TUMO’s early days is always a treat, so let’s see what these friends have to share.